BRIDGEPORT — There are times, however rare, when donuts are just not foremost in your thoughts.

When you’re spending multiple hours digging your car out from the latest blizzard, for example.

Fastnacht Day, which is Tuesday, March 4, caught a lot of winter-weary folks by surprise this year — even master doughnut maker Ray Barkmeyer.

“With the weather the way it’s been, I think people were more concerned about getting to work and all the things about shoveling out from the snow,” said the owner of legendary Suzy-Jo Donuts in Bridgeport. “We knew Doughnut Day was in March this year, and it’s usually in February, but we actually ended up closing our shop for four or five days because of the weather. Then we realized that we only had two weeks to prep for this, and usually we’re prepping a month before.”

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Whether you prefer calling it Fastnacht Day, Doughnut Day, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday is when the Pennsylvania Dutch historically would raid the pantry of all lard, butter, yeast, flour and sugar, intermingle those diet-busting ingredients and then feast on the resulting heavy hitters affectionately known as fastnachts.

Pronounced “fawst-nahk,” the word literally means “night before the fast,” the precursor to the 40-odd days of Lenten denial.

A belated and sensibly spring-like arrival for Easter Sunday on April 20 — as opposed to last year’s March 31 — bumped Fastnacht Day further along on the calendar, causing a bit of bewilderment regarding the timing of our carbohydrate-and-fat-fueled indulgence.

“I have a feeling everybody is in the same boat we’re in, and some of them aren’t even thinking about Fastnacht Day right now,” Barkmeyer said on Monday afternoon, as he prepared for a 24-hour time-to-make-the-doughnuts mindset.

Those customers who are not necessarily purists are happy to know that Suzy-Jo tweaks Pennsylvania Dutch tradition a bit by offering classic plain fastnachts alternatively in powdered and sugared form.

The classic recipe itself derails from the original in foregoing the designated potato dough altogether — “We tried it once and it just didn’t work out that well,” Barkmeyer noted — but sticks to the tried-and-true method of dipping the yeasty doughnuts in a sizzling lard bath.

Bridgeport may be miles away from Pennsylvania Dutch country, but, walking into the Suzy-Jo shop on Monday afternoon, it was nearly impossible not to get caught up in fastnacht fever as the unmistakable aroma of frizzling dough drifted through the air.

With the clean precision of Jaguar mechanics engaged in a tune-up, Barkmeyer and his crew rolled out massive mounds of dough, urged them through the cutting machine and then plunged them into the bubbling oil bath.

Suzy-Jo Donuts introduced the area to the holeless confections more than 55 years ago, and are still the foremost fastnacht-forward providers for hundreds of loyal customers from here to Lancaster County.

Fastnachts will also be available at locations that normally carry Suzy-Jo Donuts, such as Collegeville Italian Bakery and Corropolese Bakery & Deli.

Barkmeyer figures he’s probably crafted a million fastnachts over the years.

“We do see a lot of once-a-year customers because all they buy are fastnachts,” he said. “But most that come in are our regular customers and many of them buy a dozen or two of regular doughnuts while they’re here. That’s why we make so many doughnuts,” Barkmeyer added, laughing. “People are preparing for their long fast but they’re usually back in for more doughnuts when the fast doesn’t work out so well.”

If you neglected to pre-order, not to worry: Walk-in fastnachters are always welcome.